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Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department badge

A badge is a device or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fire), a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple means of identification. They are also used in advertising, publicity, and for branding purposes.

Badges can be made from metal, plastic, leather, textile, rubber, etc., and they are commonly attached to clothing, bags, footwear, vehicles, home electrical equipment, etc.

Badges have become highly collectible: in the UK, for example, the Badge Collectors' Circle has been in existence since 1980.[1]

In the military, badges are often used to denote qualifications received through military training, rank, etc. Similarly, youth organizations such as scouting and guiding use them to show group membership, awards and rank.

Textile badges or patches can be either woven or embroidered, and can be attached by gluing, iron-on,sewn or applique.

Members of fraternities and sororities often refer to the pins that signify their membership as badges.

One of the best-known badges is the typically star-shaped U.S. sheriff's badge, made famous in Westerns.

The BBC children's programme Blue Peter also awards its own "Blue Peter badge" to members of the public who appear on the show. These are highly collectible as they cannot be bought - except from people who have been awarded one and wish to sell it.

Case badges are thick (about 3 mm deep), 3 cm x 3 cm lucite stickers that are often packaged with various computer parts, such as processors and video cards. Modern computer cases are frequently embellished with an indentation on the case's front panel to facilitate the affixing of a case badge.

In work places employees are often issued name badges which identify them. Name badges are also commonly issued in high schools and hospitals. They are often used to tell legitimate workers from impersonators.

[edit] See also

Three badges issued by Ringgold High School

• Badge engineering
• Badge of shame
• Campaign button
• Heraldic badge
• Insignia
• Military badges of the United States
• Name tag
• Nursing pin
• Personal device
• Police memorabilia collecting

[edit] References

• Setchfield, Frank (1986). Official Badge Collector's Guide: From the 1890s to the 1980s. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-89306-2
• Patchwerx manufacturers of cloth and button badges